President Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence is amplifying The Wall Street Journal op-ed, ‘A Deere in the Tariff Headlights,’ which begins: “House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith issued a press release last week based on his op-ed in the Washington Examiner headlined ‘Trump’s trade agenda will fuel an economic boom.’ The Missouri Republican hails from the Farm Belt so we wonder if he has spoken with workers at Deere & Co.”
The farm equipment maker based in Moline, Illinois, announced that it is laying off 238 workers at three factories in Moline, East Moline, and Waterloo, Iowa, in the coming weeks. Deere estimates that it could take a $600 million hit for the fiscal 2025 year.
John Deere is laying off 238 workers at three factories in Iowa. The company said Tariffs and lower commodity prices are to blame.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) August 25, 2025
“Tariff costs in the quarter were approximately $200 million, which brings us to roughly $300 million in tariff expense year to date,” said director… pic.twitter.com/wYtc5kK6lo
Pence wrote with a link to the WSJ article, which was written by the publication’s editorial board: “John Deere is laying off 238 workers at three factories in Iowa. The company said Tariffs and lower commodity prices are to blame. ‘Tariff costs in the quarter were approximately $200 million, which brings us to roughly $300 million in tariff expense year to date,’ said director of investor relations Josh Beal. American Companies and American Consumers Pay the Cost of American Tariffs. Time to Get Back to Free Trade with Free Nations!”
More than one Trump supporter has responded with suggestions about where else to place the blame. One wrote: “I believe John Deere has been on a downward trend for a while” and another replied, “AI automation nixed the jobs.”
Iowa Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, who have voiced support for Trump’s tariffs, have yet to publicly comment on the Deere announcement.
Note: When Deere last week warned concerning its third-quarter earnings that it’s seeing much softer demand from farmers who are “dealing with lower prices on crops like corn and grain and have pared back their spending as a result,” CNBC reported “Still, Deere and Wall Street analysts remain optimistic that the company is hitting a bottom this year and will turn around in the longer term.”
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